Combined assorting-table and rack.



No. 890,381. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. H. H. SHULTS.

COMBINED ASSORTING TABLE AND R'AGK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. '1, 1908;

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, PATENTED JUNE .9, 190a. H. H. SHULTS. COMBINED ASSORTINGTABLB AND BACK.

APPLICATION IIIJED FBB.,7, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HARRY HUNTLEY SHULTS, OF

CHERRY GREEK, NEW YORK.

COMBINED ASSORTING-TABLE AND BACK.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY HUNTLEY r SHULTs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cherry'Creek, in the county of Ohau-' tauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Assorting-Tables and Racks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in combined assorting tables and racks, and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in distributing mail matter and my object is to provide a table of this class, whereby the mail matter may be deposited on the table and readily assorted.

A further object is to provide a supporting rack, whereby mail bags may be suspended around three edges of the table and the mouth of the bags held open to receive the mail as it is assorted.

A further object is to provide means for securing labels in position to register with the bags suspended around the edges of the table and a further object is to provide collapsible supports for the table, whereby said supports may be folded inwardly and the table stored in a small space.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved rack in its operative position. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, showing the manner of folding the supports, and, Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the rack, showing by dotted lines the manner in which the mail bags are secured around the table.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the platform of my improved table, along three edges of which are arranged outwardly and upwardly inclined flanges 2, said flanges being employed for retaining loose mail matter on the platform, said flanges being secured to the platform in any preferred manner, as by means of straps 3.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed. February 7,

Located below the platform 1, is a frame 4,

Patented June 9, 1908, 1908. seriaino. 414,826.

which is preferably constructed from sections of tubing and said sections are preferably joined together by means of unions 5, the frame being secured to the table in any preferred manner.

Depending from the frame 4, are supporting legs 6, the upper ends of the legs being pivotally secured to the frame ,4 in any preferred manner, as by means of a T-coupling 7, the horizontal portion of said coupling surrounding the frame 4, while the vertical portion of said coupling is adapted to receive the supporting legs 6.

The legs 6 are held in their lowered or vertical position by means of jointed braces 8, the upper ends of said braces being pivotally secured to the frame 4, while the lower ends thereof are pivotally secured to the legs 6, and by providing a joint substantially at the longitudinal center. of said braces and limiting the movement of the parts of the braces in one direction, a rigid brace will be formed when both sections of the brace are in the same axial plane, but when the table is to be stored away, the braces are moved upwardly, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby permitting the supporting legs to swing inwardly and against the bottom of the table.

In assorting mail matter for various destinations, bags are provided for receiving the mail for certain routes, and as the mail is assorted, it is thrown directly into the bags and to readily support the bags around the table and hold the mouths of the bags open, I provide a rack 9, which rack is preferably constructed of paralleling bars 10 and 11, which bars may be constructed of tubular sections and secured together in any preferred manner, as by arms 12, said bars being spaced apart and provided with any suitable form of hooks 13, to which are secured the usual or any preferred form of mail bag 14 and in arranging the bag so that the mail matter may be readily deposited therein, the bar 10 is in a plane above the bar 11 and as the bar 11 is adjacent the edge of the table, the highest portion of the bag will be farthest from the table, thereby giving a clear opening for the introduction of the mail matter. It is to be observed that the end of the bar is to be positioned adjacent each end of the side flanges of the platform and that it has but a single arm 12 intermediate the rear edge of the table.

Adjacent the upper edges of the flanges 2,

are arranged pockets 15, into which are to be inserted tags 16, on which tags is printed the route over which the bag, adjacent eachparticular tag, is to be conveyed, thereby enabling the assorting clerk to readily deposit the mail in the proper bag by a casual glance at the tags in the pockets.

In operation, the platform is first set up and bags secured on the rack 9, after which designating tags for each bag are placed in the pockets on the flanges 2. The mail matter is then dumped upon the platform 1 and the assorting process commenced, the tags in the various pockets indicating into which bag the mail matter is to be deposited.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a very efficient and economical form of assorting table and bag supporting rack and one that can be readily set up or collapsed and stored away and it will likewise be seen that by placing the bars of the rack in different planes, the assorting operation will be facilitated, as the mail matter can be more readily introduced into the bag, the higher portion of the bags serving as a guard to prevent the mail matter from going beyond the mouth of the bag.

What I claim is:

In a device of the character described, the combination of a platform, inclined flan'ges at the ends and one side of said platform and means to support said platform; of a rack arranged along the edges of said platform, said rack comprising parallel spaced bars carried by the platform supporting means, said bars being arranged on different hori zontal and vertical planes, the lowermost bars being positioned a ljacent the free ends of the flanges, said bars being connected by arms, said arms being located adjacent the ends of the side flanges of the platform and centrally of the remaining flange.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY HUNTLEY SHULTS.

I/Vitnesses S. N. SMITH, NORA B. LAKE. 

